Heart of Stone
by christmasinacup
Summary: Joan is more than a boss to Annie, but by the time Annie realizes it, it may be too late as lines are crossed and boundaries pushed, and the CIA falls into a deep spiral of betrayal.
1. Chapter 1

Inspired by the song "Heart of Stone" by Iko. I wanted to try a slightly different writing style. It's a bit angsty, FYI. Let me know if you think I should continue.

* * *

Annie bites her tongue, because it's all she can do to keep from screaming.

She and Auggie are on the couch, tangled up in each other, still dressed in what they were wearing the night before. After what can only be described as a marathon make-out session, they retired to the couch and talked, for hours, until they fell asleep.

But when Annie woke up, she remembered the file. The file that held the end Arthur and Joan's careers at the Agency. The end that she agreed to help Henry Wilcox begin.

_Why the hell did she do that?_

Probably because the file included a post-it note stuck to a picture of Arthur and Joan in his office, one that looked ten or fifteen years old. They were kissing passionately, the strap of Joan's emerald green lace bra hanging off her shoulder, and Arthur's hands on her ass.

The note said: _There are no secrets in our business. And no one can guarantee the safety of his or her loved ones. If you don't do this, Anderson will play the price._

And that picture was just the tip of the iceberg. There were dedicated mission reports, bank statements, and various legal documents. All of them had Arthur Campbell's name on them, and with every one Annie felt her heart grow colder.

It was Auggie or Joan. Her best friend/soulmate or her…. Her what? Boss was not the right word, there was more to it. Friend? Too simple. Sister? No, she had an older sister already. Mother, no, because Joan was not old enough to be her mother. And Annie still held onto the hope that she would mend fences with her own mom.

Auggie stirred beside her, and Annie put Joan and the file out of her mind. She looks down at him and smiles.

"Hey."

"Hey," he says back, his brown eyes warm. Annie feels like they are piercing her soul, even though she knows that he's just looking straight up, not at her specifically.

"Um, Auggie, I was thinking about what you said. About Joan. I'm going to talk to her today, apologize," Annie says, surprised she can say it without conveying what she is feeling. It does help that Auggie can't read her face.

He smiles, proud of her. "That sounds like a great idea. See you at the office?"

"Yes," she says. He leans in for a kiss before getting up from the couch. She rushes to follow him, handing him his cane.

"Glad we talked," she said, echoing her sentiments from the night before. He nods.

"Me too."

She waits before she hears the cab drive off to collapse onto her bed. She screams into her pillows, sobbing and yelling and sniffling. She doesn't stop until she has to come up for air. When she does, she catches a glimpse of her face in the mirror. She looks like hell.

And she's in hell, too.

An hour later, she has showered, blow-dried her hair, and dressed in a gray tunic, jeans, and riding boots. She slips on her key necklace, wishing she could talk to Simon. Strange as it sounded, she felt like he would be able to give her the right advice if he was here. She still misses him deeply, which confuses her.

She dials a number she hasn't used since Amsterdam, and holds her breath.

"Hello?"

"Joan." She lets it out, exhaling, and suddenly, her insides begin to churn.

"Annie." Joan sounds surprised, but pleasantly so. "How are you?"

"Fine," Annie stammers, trying to steady her voice. "I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Okay, sure. Are you still at home, or on your way to work?"

"Home."

"Well, then stay there, I'll be over in 20 minutes. I'm on my way to work."

"Isn't Arthur with you?"

"No, he went in a few hours ago for a meeting."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll see you soon."

"Great." Joan hangs up and Annie's legs give out. _Fuck._

When Joan arrives, she lets herself in. She looks perfect, in a red sheath dress with black pumps and her straight blonde hair half-up. She enters Annie's room and sees the young operative sitting on the bed.

Annie jumps up, not sure what to do with her face. She ends up smiling nervously, standing to face Joan.

"Joan, I just wanted to apologize for everything. For always bucking your authority, sometimes going too far, for yelling at you a few weeks ago, and… and for yesterday."

Joan frowns, puzzled. She can't recall anything happening between her and Annie after the ceremony for Jai. In fact, they didn't even see each other after that.

Annie's heart is racing, frantically beating against her chest as if it is trying to fight its way out. For a second, she hopes that it succeeds, just to spare herself from the pain this conversation will most likely lead to.

"Annie, what do you mean?" Now Joan looks worried, and Annie wants to vomit.

"Henry Wilcox asked me to meet him at Vesta last night."

Joan's face relaxes and she sighs. "Oh, that's horrible. What a fucked up thing to do, after everything that's happened." Her face has softened into a warm, almost motherly smile. "I'm so sorry, Annie. Did you go?"

Annie nods. "I did. He had a proposal for me… and at first I refused to even open the file. But he pushed it, and my curiosity got the best of me."

Silence. Neither knows what to say, or how to say it. Annie is scared out of her mind, and Joan is confused and trying to work through the worst things Henry could do in her mind.

"It's compromising," Annie finally forces out, running her hands through her hair. "And… it's about you and Arthur."

Joan's eyes widen and for a second, Annie thinks her boss is going to start yelling. But instead, Joan takes a deep breath and asks, "May I see it?"

Annie nods, relieved that Joan isn't exploding with rage. She pulls it out from under her pillow and hands it to Joan, her eyes apologetic. Then she closes them, hoping that when they open again, everything will be different. She'll be somewhere else – anywhere else.

After a few seconds, Annie opens her eyes, and sees Joan, sitting on the bed, flipping through the file, pain in her eyes.

She looks up at Annie, and Annie's heart cracks, because she can see tears in Joan's grey-blue eyes.

"You said yes, didn't you?"

Another crack.

She nods. It's evident that Joan read the post-it, and knows Annie didn't agree out of spite. Complete silence falls over them as they each consider what Annie's "yes" means.

Joan stands up, wiping away a few tears. She looks at Annie sadly, then puts her hand on Annie's left shoulder.

"I understand, but… I wish it didn't have to be this way."

More cracking. Annie feels like her chest is on fire. She nods, tears gathering in her eyes now. Joan bites her lip and then pulls Annie into a hug, much like the one they shared in this very room the night before Annie left for Russia.

When they let go of each other, Joan looks more hurt than Annie has ever seen anyone. She takes a few steps back, then walks to the doorway. Annie waits for the noise of Joan's car engine before collapsing onto the floor, gasping for breath as she sobs.

Her heart breaks, and tears flow from her eyes like blood from an open wound.

_What has she done?_


	2. Chapter 2

Everyone loved this and wanted more, so here you go! I'm thinking it will be about 5 chapters, more or less, so please continue to give your input :) I always like to hear ideas & speculations, they help me make every chapter better.

* * *

Joan runs into Arthur's office, all poise and coolness gone. She's crying, which she never does.

"Joan?"

"Arthur, it's…. it's Henry. He got to Annie."

Arthur's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"He gave her a file. The first thing in it is a picture of us from the days of our affair, and it gets progressively worse. Those unsanctioned ops you and Henry used to run, Conrad's quick departure…"

"Damn it." Arthur is seething, and he whips his glasses off to toss them on the desk. "This is why we needed him behind bars."

"Well, now he's out. And all those secrets from the last 15 years, they might come out too," Joan wiped her eyes. She hates to cry, because it is the ultimate sign of weakness. And she is not weak. She sits down in a chair across from Arthur's desk.

"Wait, how did you know?," Arthur asked, reaching across to grab Joan's hand. She sighed.

"Annie." Joan sighs. "She asked me to come to her house this morning. She wanted to apologize to me for bucking my authority, for all the fights we've been having lately."

Arthur sighs too, because he knows that all Joan wants is to be bale to mentor Annie, show her the way. It's hard to get Joan to cry, and Annie did it in ten minutes.

"We're going to make this better, honey, I promise," Arthur says. He walks around the desk and leans down to place a soft kiss on Joan's lips.

"Go home," he whispers. "I will take care of this, okay?"

Joan nods but feels confused. How can something like this just go away?

Arthur watches her leave, then closes the door behind her and sits back down in his desk chair. It takes the unlocking of a bottom drawer to find Joan's answer, sitting under a stack of legal pads.

A .45 Colt Revolver. Dark, cold, and loaded.

xxxx

Annie is still sitting on her bedroom floor when she gets the call, her face stained with tears.

"Walker. Bring it to my office. Now."

She stands up, slips the file into her purse, and grabs her keys. The feeling is the kind one feels on the way to their execution.

She has sunk to her lowest low. She never thought she would betray someone she cared about.

xxxx

Joan sits on her and Arthur's bed, feeling betrayal in the cruelest way. She knew the moment Annie brought back Staas's phone from her first mission that she was special. Determined, and the glint in her eyes still visible under the heavy DC-hooker makeup. Someone Joan could mentor, someone who could even be better than her one day.

Was all that gone now?

She unzips her sheath dress and tosses it on the floor, climbing under covers in her pale pink bra and matching panties.

Arthur will wake her when he gets home, and update her if anything changes. Normally, it would be hard to fall asleep, but she's so exhausted (more mentally than anything else) that it only takes a few minutes.

xxxx

Annie needs to stop to get gas, and she sits in her car as the tank fills up, trying to think of a game plan. A way to defeat Henry and keep her relationship with Joan intact.

She gets out of the car to take the nozzle out of the now filled gas tank, and turns around for 5 seconds to put it away. When she sits back down in the driver's seat, someone else is in the car.

"Don't even open your mouth," the man says. He is a little older than her, with dark hair and dark eyes. He's wearing a fancy suit, and hands her an envelope.

"Henry Wilcox wants to make sure you follow through with your promise," he says, almost whispering. "You will help him with the first part of the plan today."

He gets out of the backseat and walks away, and Annie stares down at the envelope. It's bumpy, and when she rips it open, a cell phone falls out.

_Ring, ring._

"Hello?," Annie cradles the phone against her shoulder as she straps on her seatbelt. Her voice is timid.

"Miss Walker, I see you met Michaelson. Very good. Now, I need you to do me a favor: tell me where Joan Campbell is."

Annie is confused. Her boss is probably at work, channeling her anger into being an expert spy."At the DPD."

"No, she's not," Henry says. "So find out where she is and tell me. Keep me updated on her location."

Now Annie is scared. "Why? What are you going to do to her?"

"That, Miss Walker, is none of your concern," Henry says smoothly. "You agreed to help me. I was under the impression we had a common goal."

"Yes, yes, of course," Annie stammers. "What you said at the diner was vague, but…."

"Let me worry about the details. Oh, and Annie? Not a word of this to anyone. Especially your little tech op."

The line goes dead and Annie tosses the phone onto her car floor. _Shit._

xxxx

When she arrives at the Agency, it's like any other day. With one exception: instead of going to the DPD, she goes straight to the 7th flood. Arthur's secretary, Midge, sees her and immediately says, "The DCS is waiting for you."

Annie gulps and nods. Midge goes back to work, because she knows nothing. She has no clearance level at all, but Annie still feels like she is being judged.

"Arthur?"

He's at his desk, pouring over papers. He looks up at Annie, his eyes cold and unforgiving. That signature Arthur Campbell charm is completely gone.

Annie pulls the file out of her purse and hands it to him. He flips through it, showing no emotion. When he's done, he tosses it down on the desk and stares at her.

"So, got a plan? Because I sure as hell don't, and you got us into this."

Annie sighs. "I wish I did, sir, but…."

Arthur rubs his temples. "Fuck."

"I am so, so sorry, Arthur, I…"

"Save it." He holds up his hand. "Truth of the matter is, if you didn't alert us to this, we may have never seen it coming. But you need to be with us, not against us, got it? No matter what he says."

"Is this all about that photo?," Annie asked, sitting down in a chair across from Arthur's desk. He shook his head.

"No... there is much more to this. Without knowing what I know, those documents in the file look meaningless. But they tie Henry, Joan, and I to some pretty bad ops. Dark ops."

Annie and Arthur just stare at each other for a moment, both wondering if Arthur is going to read her in. After a few seconds, Arthur speaks.

"Fifteen years ago, Henry was still DCS. I was his third-in-command, and Joan was a field agent in the DPD. Henry had gotten in trouble several times for the dark ops he ran, so he needed to take them off-book. I'm sorry to say I helped. I had my eye on his position once he retired, and helping him would get me there. Joan wasn't involved until a few years later, when her safety became a problem."

"So he's threatening you with the past?"

Arthur sighs and rubs his temples more. "If only it were in the past. But about 2 years ago, right after you were recruited, I sent Conrad on another dark op. It's classified, but I wouldn't have done if it wasn't necessary. How Henry found out about it, I don't know, but he made it clear to me later in the year that if he wasn't included, he would dig up the past. That threat was gone once he was in prison, but now that he's out…"

"… nothing is safe, and he has no more secrets," Annie finishes. She puts her head in her hands. They are both silent for a while, and then Annie pulls herself together.

"Well, then let's craft a plan," Annie feels guilty over her conversation with Henry earlier. "Is Joan here? I want us to all work together."

Arthur shakes his head. "She went home, she wasn't feeling well. I'll read her in tomorrow. We need a team, so grab Auggie and Barber. No one else."

Annie heart sinks. Auggie can't be pulled into this, he just can't. If he knows he's part of the threat he'll throw himself into the line of fire for her. She shakes her head.

"No. Not Auggie."

Arthur looks confused, but then he understands. It's how he feels about Joan.

He nods. "Okay. I'll assemble the team, bring in some of guys in OSP."

Annie nods. "Thank you, sir."

"We have a lot to do, so get comfortable," he says, standing up and walking over to his filing cabinets. "Let Midge know what kind of coffee you want."

Annie feels trapped. She doesn't want to, but she has to call Henry. "I'm actually going to step outside and use the restroom, so I can get it myself. But thank you."

Arthur nods and watches her leave, then continues to search for documents on the old dark ops.

"She's home," Annie whispers into the burner phone, after checking under all the stalls.

"Thank you." Henry says, then hangs up. Annie stuffs the phone in her purse and slams her fist into the stall door, much like her first day of work. She feels similar too: lost and scared.

xxxx

Joan wakes up at 2 in the afternoon and checks her phone. She has 2 messages, one from Auggie saying that he can cover for her, and one from Arthur telling her that he and Annie are working on a plan. A smile dances across her lips, because she's always wanted Arthur to see Annie like she does. And if he didn't scream at her and then send her back to the DPD, he finally sees why she is special.

She hopes that tomorrow she can talk to Annie, figure everything out. Joan knows Auggie is in danger, which matters to her too. She wants Annie to know that they can fight together, and keep everyone they love safe.

She's sitting up in bed when she feels a migraine coming on. Last week, she ran out of Advil, and has been too busy to pick up another bottle, so she dresses in yoga pants, a slightly oversized cranberry-colored t-shirt, and converse sneakers. She throws on a gray hoodie and stuffs her wallet and phone into the pockets. She almost picks up her car keys, but then decides to walk. It's only 30 minutes to the drugstore, and she could use the fresh air.

5 minutes later, her blonde wavy hair is brushed and she is walking out the front door. She only makes it a few feet down the sidewalk before someone throws a bag over her head and drags her into a van, speeding off down the empty suburban street.


	3. Chapter 3

I hope you guys like this chapter! Sorry it took a while to update, but I have my finals next week :( Lots of studying to be done...

* * *

Joan blacked out and woke up in a dark room, with her hands tied behind her back and her ankles bound to her chair. Everything is hazy, and Joan's throat hurts. Oh, and her head hurts too.

It doesn't take for than 5 seconds for her to figure out that Henry Wilcox is behind this.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

Footsteps on stairs revealed Henry, who flipped on a light switch. Joan blinked up at him, smirking.

"Well, hello Henry. I have to say, I didn't know you had the balls to actually make an appearance."

Henry chuckles. "Well, it's not like you'll be around to tell anyone. That is, depending on what you can do for me."

Joan has never been scared of Henry Wilcox, but the look in his eye is a bit off-putting. She keeps her poker face and just watches him.

He chuckles again and takes a few steps closer to her, bending down. "Smart girl. You're trained well to hold up while captive. It's been a while, I but I see your skills from the field are still very present."

Joan stays quiet.

"Joan, I've always liked you more than your husband, so I'll ask nicely: will you please tell me Conrad Sheehan's current alias?"

Joan lifts her chin and stares straight into his dark, calculating eyes.

"No."

Henry's face crumples in anger, and he slaps her across the face, _hard_. Joan bites her tongue so that he doesn't feel her flinch in pain, and stares at him. He smiles manically and stands up.

"You'll come around."

xxxx

"Operation Doxy," Arthur says, dropping a file in Annie's lap. "None of this in your clearance, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Annie nods, a sense of dread growing within her by the minute. She's worried Henry hurt Joan. And she is sitting right across from Joan's husband, who goes out of his way to keep her safe by not telling her certain mission details.

She ruined that in 2 days.

Annie reads up on Operation Doxy, and Arthur makes phone calls. She is sitting across the room at the conference table, but she can't help overhearing.

"No… yes, Jacoby. How many times do I have to say it? Get me _everything_ on Henry Wilcox… yes, even his latest golf scores… Don't be a smartass."

Arthur slams the phone down and hits his intercom button.

"Midge, when Jacoby comes up here with those files, tell him he's an idiot, okay?"

"You got it, sir."

Arthur sighs and looks back down at the documents strewn about his desk. Annie keeps reading and hi-lighting the Doxy file, when the burner cell Henry gave her buzzes. She jumps, heart slamming against her chest, but thankfully Arthur doesn't notice. Carefully, she lifts the phone out of her purse and hides it behind the folder.

One new text message: _Snap a few pictures of Arthur and send them to me, within the hour. You know what's at risk._

Like a puppet on a string, Annie does as she is told. She takes a picture of Arthur at his desk, then sets the timer on the phone's camera to ten seconds and quickly walks over to Arthur.

"Sir, did Jai have any ties to this? Should we be worried about any of the loose ends regarding Lena and Simon?"

Arthur shakes his head. "No. I transferred Jai to the DPD right before Doxy to keep him out of the line of fire."

Annie's face softens, and her eyes grow sad. Arthur notices this and his softens up too.

"I really did like him, Annie. I wanted to mentor him, " he confides, his bright blue eyes darkening. "He was going places, but his father had to go and mess up his head. It's a shame, really. Arthur clears his throat. "Sometimes we don't get a chance to say what we want to, and all those things we should have said can pile up, especially in this business."

Annie nods and turns to walk back to the table, guilt in her chest. There are so many things she should have said to Joan, and she didn't. And if they don't all get through this, Joan will never forgive her.

Annie scrolls through the pictures and sends them to Henry. She feels as if she has no choice.

xxxx

It's been four hours, and Joan is showing Henry nothing but her poker face. Even though he knows how well she is trained, he is still angry. So he decides it's time to step up his game.

"Joan, I have something that might interest you."

Joan doesn't lift her gaze from her lap and mumbles under her breath, "Water? Yes, I'd love some, thanks."

Henry holds up a folder and waves it in Joan's face, trying to entice her. She looks up and sighs, a lock of blonde hair falling across her face.

Henry chuckles and tucks the lock of hair behind Joan's ear, stroking her cheek as he pulls his hand back. A shiver runs up Joan's spine.

"I have some photos for you to take a look at," Henry says, opening the folder. He pulls out a picture of Annie and Joan talking in Annie's apartment.

Joan looks bored. She isn't surprised that Henry had Annie followed.

But then Henry holds up a picture of Arthur and Annie at Arthur's desk. Joan leans forward and sees that the picture was taken from outside, and feels relief. Arthur is safe.

Or not. The last picture is Annie walking towards Arthur, but it's taken from a few feet away. Joan forgets to control her facial expression and Henry smiles a twisted smile.

"Miss Walker took that for me just half an hour ago."

Fear creeps into Joan's heart. No. Annie came to her, they are all on the same side.

Right?

"Oh, and I forgot this one!" Henry holds up another picture, of Arthur at his desk. This one had to have been taken from right in front of him, because she can see his deep blue eyes lined in wrinkles, and his reading glasses laying on the desk. She sucks in a breath.

Henry chuckles. "Yes, Joan. Annie has been on my side this whole time. She only went to you because I instructed her to. Now Arthur trusts her, and I can take him down, with you as leverage."

Joan wants to scream, and almost decides against it, but then she decides that her silence is useless no matter what.

"Fuck you," she spits out, glaring at Henry as he walks away. He turns around, an amused smile on his face. The bastard.

He just chuckles darkly, and Joan thinks he is going to keep walking away, but instead he comes roaring back, putting his hands on the back of her chair, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. He leans his face right in front of hers, and whispers, "Language like that certainly won't get you anywhere."

Then he stands back and slaps her again, on the same cheek. He pulls her hair away from her face and squeezes her cheeks in his hand.

"You'll regret this," he says, breathing heavily. Obviously he can't throw a few hits without working up a sweat anymore.

He aims a punch at her face, hitting her right eye. She bites her tongue to fight the pain, and as Henry walks away, she feels the swelling start.

His guards each step a few feet closer to her, their faces like stone. Joan hangs her head and lets out a shaky breath, heart pounding.

He's going to kill her.


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur pushes his chair back from his desk and glances at the clock.

"Okay, Walker, it's 8:30. You game to order dinner and work through?"

Annie nods, looking up from the laptop Midge brought her.

"Do you want me to get it?"

Arthur shakes his head and offers a small smile. "I'll get it. I want to stop by my house, check on Joan. She had a pretty bad migraine earlier."

Annie freezes. She has no idea why Henry needed to find Joan, but what if something happened?

"Um, okay," she says, running a shaking hand through her hair. Arthur doesn't notice.

"Do you like pizza?"

"Yeah."

"Pepperoni?"

Annie gives a smile and a nod. "Sounds good. Thank you, Arthur."

He slips his jacket on. "I'll be back in less than an hour. If you want, you can go down to the DPD, take a break, get a coffee."

Annie just nods again and waits until Arthur leaves. She pulls her phone out and texts Henry.

_What did you do to Joan? Is she safe?_

xxxx

Arthur walks through the front door and finds himself in total darkness. Joan always likes to sleep off her migraines, so he assumes she's in bed, upstairs. Her car is here, so she's home at least.

He walks up the stairs quietly, but when he arrives at their bedroom door, something is wrong. The bed looks slept in, but it's empty. He does a quick sweep of the room and finds nothing. Now he's afraid, and he starts to yell her name as he searches the house.

"Joan? Joan!"

xxxx

Annie gets the call while she is sitting in the indoor terrace area, sipping a latte and wringing her hands out, waiting for a reply from Henry. But it's her regular cell that rings.

"Annie, Joan isn't here."

Annie goes numb. This is her fault. "What do you mean?"

"She's not here. Her car is, but not her car keys. Sneakers gone from the closet, but not workout clothes. She probably went for a walk, maybe to run an errand, and Henry grabbed her."

"You're sure it was Henry?"

"Well, someone working for him. He's too bold to do it himself."

"What do we do?"

"Get her back." Arthur's voice had fire and determination in it. "I'm on my way back to the Agency now."

Annie hung up and tossed her phone onto the table. She pulled out Henry's burner and texted him again.

_Where is Joan? _

xxxx

Joan's captivity cell hadn't gotten any less dull and she still wasn't talking. Henry came in every hour or so to sit and watch her. He stopped asking, but Joan knew what he wanted.

Conrad Sheehan. Arthur had sent him to Chile 2 years ago, shortly after Annie joined up. He was running Operation Doxy, a deep-cover dark op involving a Latin American rebel army, human trafficking, and a few US traitors. It was imperative that it was kept on the sly, and Arthur had transferred Jai to the DPD so he could avoid getting involved through the London desk, where Conrad's partner, Max Hill, had come from.

The op was the first in 6 years of its kind – Henry's dark magic. It had polluted the DPD back in the day, and led to the nickname "Prince of Darkness." Operatives starting distrusting each other, and everyone was paranoid. Henry made everybody feel like they were in danger of being left in the cold. And Arthur was forced to go along with it. Henry retired, Arthur stripped the black paper off the windows (so to speak), appointed Joan as the head of the DPD.

Until 2 years ago, the dark age of the Clandestine Services office was over. But Arthur couldn't resist the pull of the Chilean rebels – he knew that if Conrad and Max succeeded, the intelligence they could gain would be invaluable.

Joan hadn't known about any of the dark ops until Arthur told her six years ago, when they had ended. By the time Doxy started, Joan was in just as deep as Arthur.

Joan searched the room, looking for any clue as to what time it was – she had no idea how long she had been tied to this chair, with Henry's watchdogs monitoring her. She had been in many captive situations that were worse than this one, but nevertheless, she was worried. She was at home, not in another country, and people she deeply cared about were in danger.

She heard footsteps and sighed. Henry was back to stare at her, waiting for an answer.

"According to our lovely double agent, Arthur is distraught."

Joan looked up, her eyes wide. Arthur must have come home and found the house empty.

"Oh, no, Joan, this is good," Henry said, crossing the room, cupping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "His wife is in danger, now he'll get sloppy and cross corners to come find you. And I'll get exactly what I want."

Joan glared at him, and then acted on impulse. She tipped her the chair, pitching her forward into Henry. They crashed onto the floor and Joan started trashing, trying to injure Henry and loosen her ties at the same time. Henry groaned, pushing Joan off of him and scrambling to get up. Joan slid across the floor on her side, still bound to the chair. She winced in pain.

Henry laughed darkly. "Sorry Joan. You'll have to do better than that. Sleep tight."

The three men left, and Joan lay there on her side, trying to figure out an escape plan. She stared around the dimly lit basement. It was empty, except for a few cabinets against the wall by the stairs.

It took her a while, but she was able to scoot herself about 6 feet across the floor to the cabinets. She frowned in disgust before placing her mouth on the bottom cabinet's handle, lacing her tongue around the sleek metal bar. She tugged, and the drawer slid, knocking her backwards. She groaned as her head hit the cool concrete floor.

It took a few minutes, but she was able to get into a position where she could peer into the drawer.

Bingo.

There were a few old rusted tools, and Joan saw a screwdriver. It wasn't very sharp, and was most likely useless for screwing things into a wall, but it would serve for her purposes.

She picked it up in her mouth, hacking as she tasted the dirty metal. She spit it out onto the ground and then flipped onto her back, which took quite a bit of effort. Once she was on her back, she pushed herself towards the screwdriver, flapping her hands around until she found it. She was tied tightly, but her fingers were loose. She felt the screwdriver and picked it up in her right hand, twisting it around in an attempt to cut the rope.

After what seemed like hours (but in reality was only 20 minutes), the screwdriver connected with the rope. Joan grinned in satisfaction and moved her hand back and forth, sawing through the rope. It would take a long time, but it was slowly working.

xxxx

When Arthur got back, he called Annie and told her to meet him in the DPD. When she got there, he had already dismissed half of the agents, only leaving the ones he knew were the most trustworthy and least likely to ask questions.

"This is an urgent matter," Arthur said, addressing the 10 operatives remaining. "Joan has been captured by Henry Wilcox. We are not sure of his agenda at this time, but we need her back before he can act on whatever his plans are. The last contact we have is at 2:23 pm, when the alarm at our house was set. She left, possibly for a walk or to run an errand, and was grabbed within minutes. You all know the drill, so get to work."

Arthur looked over at Annie. She got chills. He was standing were Joan usually stood when she addressed the bullpen. Just 2 weeks ago, she had stood in that very spot, calling Annie into her office.

"Walker, you're with Anderson and Barber, reviewing traffic cams."

Annie froze. Auggie.

For Arthur's sake, she nodded and headed to the tech ops office. When she got there, Auggie's head swiveled to the door.

"Annie?"

He stood up and Annie wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him close to her, her betrayal feeling much worse as she thought of what Auggie would say if he knew.

She stepped away shyly and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"So, we have footage to go over."

Auggie noticed the subtle brush-off, but he said nothing. He sat back down in his chair and swiveled to his braille keyboard.

Annie smiled as she watched him. Barber pushed a chair over to her and she sat down, but gave some space between her and Auggie.

"So," he said, moving his fingers across the keyboard. "We'll start at 2, about half an hour before Joan left the house. Annie, Barber, tell me what you see."

They leaned in and watched the screen, hoping to see something, anything. But Henry had done his homework and been careful. The traffic cams didn't show the Campbell's house, and he had done what he could to avoid them when driving away.

It was a dead end.

* * *

I hope you guys liked this! Joan's escape attempt might be a bit unrealistic, but I don't really know how those situations work... I think you can handle it. Anyways, I have finals this week, so the next chapter might not come for a few days. Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

The second-to-last chapter! I'm glad you guys love this story so much :)

* * *

Annie, Auggie, and Barber had been going through the street cam footage for hours, inspecting it for even a tiny bit of helpful evidence. But nothing.

"Shit," Auggie murmured, banging his fist on the desk. He put his face in his hands. Barber frowned, and Annie put her hand on Auggie's shoulder. She knew that he and Joan were close, and that Auggie cared about her a lot.

She knew she should be avoiding him, but the pull was too strong. He was a magnetic force, and she was weak in his presence.

"Hey," she whispered. "Want to go get a coffee, stretch your legs?"

He nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Barber, can we get you anything?," Annie asked, guiding Auggie up. Barber nodded.

"Yeah, um.. double latte with an extra shot of espresso."

Annie smiled and placed Auggie's arm on her wrist.

"Got it."

They walked out of the DPD and down the hall silently. They were halfway to the coffee kiosk when Auggie stopped.

"Annie, what if we can't bring her back?" He was voicing his deepest fears, and Annie's guilt tripled.

"We will," she said to him, squeezing his hand. "We will."

Annie's mind had been battling over which side she was on, but in that moment, she decided.

xxxx

Joan had gotten herself free, and looted the cabinets for more heavy-duty tools. She succeeded and found a crowbar, and by the time she heard footsteps again, she was crouched in the darkest corner, gripping the weapon as tightly as she could.

Her hiding spot was conveniently located under the stairs, behind a box marked "Old files." The second she saw Henry's goons, she struck, first hitting them on the knees through the slats of the poorly-constructed steps. Once they were down, she came out of hiding and hit each one on the head, careful to only knock them out, not kill them.

She listened closely, but it appeared that Henry was not with them. She checked both of the men's pockets, and to her luck, found an energy bar and a phone. It was password-protected, but Auggie had taught her a thing or two. She dragged the bodies away from the stairs so Henry wouldn't see them when he came down, then hunkered down in her corner, eating the energy bar and messing with the phone, praying she could unlock it before Henry came to check on her.

xxxx

"Walker, did you find anything on the traffic cams?"

Arthur was sitting at Joan's desk, which made this all the more painful for Annie. She shook her head and bit the bullet, pulling the burner phone out of her pocket. She put it on the desk and took a step back.

"Henry gave me that. I was on my way in yesterday morning when I stopped at the gas station, and one of his men just slipped into my car and gave it to me. Henry's been texting me, telling me to do things for him and lording his threats over my head."

"What did you do?" Arthur looked more agonized than angry. No, scratch that. He looked furious and hurt.

"Sent him some pictures of us in the office, working. Told him Joan was at home. As soon as you said she was missing, I demanded he tell he what he did, but he stopped responding. He definitely has her, Arthur."

"You've got some nerve to tell me that you helped Henry Wilcox kidnap my wife," Arthur growled, standing up. Annie bit her lip. She had known this was coming.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. But he threatened Auggie! I had to… I had to protect him." Annie hadn't been ready to admit that to anyone, even herself, but there it was.

Arthur looked at her incredulously. "While I understand the need to protect the people you care about, this is your boss's life at stake. She cares about you, and you betrayed her."

"I know." Annie hung her head.

"Walker, maybe you should go home," Arthur said, grabbing his jacket. He carefully pulled his bottom drawer open and fished out his gun, hiding it under his jacket so Annie wouldn't see it. "I think Henry and I need to have a talk."

"No, let me help you," Annie said desperately, following Arthur out of his office. He shook his head.

"No, Annie."

"Arthur, please. I want to fix this. It's my fault that we're in this mess. Please?"

Arthur sighed. He didn't want to bring Annie with him, but she might be good bait for Henry. "Fine."

The two of them exited the building quickly and quietly, making their way to Arthur's car. They drove to Henry Wilcox's house in silence, each one thinking of all the different situations Joan could be stuck in.

xxxx

Joan had been under the stairs for an hour when she heard Henry coming. He was almost at the bottom of the stairs when his phone rang.

"What? How the hell…."

He went back up the stairs, cursing. Joan peered up through the slats and saw that he had left the basement door open a crack.

This was her chance.

She crept out from under the stairs, holding the crowbar in front of her body. She stuck her head out the basement door and immediately recognized her surroundings. She was at Henry's estate.

xxxx

Arthur pulled up to Henry's massive estate, and Annie whistled.

"Whoa."

Arthur just nodded and killed the gas. He turned to Annie.

"Walker, no matter what you do in the next hour, you will face the consequences of the mistakes you have made. Understood?"

Annie nodded.

They walked up the path, Annie's heartbeat quickening with every step. Arthur knocked, then rang the doorbell, then pounded his fist on the door. Henry didn't answer.

"When in Rome…" Arthur said, looking around. Confirming that no one was around, he wrapped his fist in the bottom of his black t-shirt and punched the glass, setting off an alarm. "...improvise."

Annie gaped as Arthur reached his hand in and unlocked the door. They only made it about 5 steps into the foyer when Henry appeared, seething.

"Arthur."

Arthur smiled cheerfully and shook out his hand, tucking his shirt back under his dark blue sweater.

"Hello, Henry. Got time to talk?"

Annie just stared at both men. Henry flicked his gaze to Annie and smiled maliciously.

"Sure. Scotch?"

"Ah, that would be wonderful," Arthur said. He put his hand on Annie's upper back.

"Don't say a word," he whispered to her as they followed Henry to the kitchen. She nodded.

xxxx

Joan heard an alarm go off and froze, flattening her back against the wall. She was in the lower level of the house, which she knew from Arthur was where Henry liked to hide.

She edged down the hallway, looking for a vent, or any way to escape without going upstairs. She found one, but the space was too small for her to fit. She was about to continue down the hall when she heard voice coming through the vent.

They were muffled, but she made out two voices. The closer they got to the vent, the more she heard. There was a clinking of glasses, and then she heard Henry's voice.

"Miss Walker, lovely to see you as…"

The voices drifted away again until they were muffled beyond recognition. They must have been walking away from wherever the vent lead to. Joan groaned, and crept down the hallway towards a narrow set of stairs.

xxxx

"Miss Walker, it's lovely to see you as well." Annie stayed silent. Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Not speaking? Dear, it's alright, you can. I doubt Arthur would be here if he hadn't caught onto your double-agent act."

Annie said nothing, and Arthur chuckled.

"You're right, Henry," he said, setting down his glass. He pulled his gun out from where it had been tucked into the back of his jeans. "I wouldn't be here if Annie hadn't let it slip that _you kidnapped my wife_. So why don't you save yourself from a nasty situation, and give her back to me?"

Annie's eyes widened. Henry glared at Arthur.

"I don't appreciate threats, Arthur."

Both men stood up at the same time, slowly. Arthur laughed darkly. He took a few steps closer to Henry, pressing the cold gun into his chest.

"I'd hate to make a mess, Henry. Let's make this painless, shall we?"

Henry froze, licking his lips nervously. "No need to get hasty, Arthur. Follow me."

Arthur nudged Henry with the gun, and he started to walk. Annie jumped up and followed them, unsure that this could turn out in their favor. It was Henry Wilcox, after all. He always had something up his sleeve.

xxxx

Joan slipped her shoes off, tied the laces together, and slung them over her shoulder as she went up the stairs, not wanting to risk even the slightest chance that she would make noise. When she reached the top of the staircase, the door was open a crack.

She gave a sigh of relief. Maybe she could get out of here.

Joan held her breath as she turned the doorknob, one hand still clutching the crowbar. She opened the door slowly, then stuck her head out. Empty.

She took a step into the hallway, finding herself in a study looking out over the spacious back lawn. She grinned to herself and put her shoes back on, then unlocked the glass door leading to the lawn.

xxxx

Henry led them towards the back of the house, instilling confidence in Arthur that Joan was back there. Henry's home was 3 stories, the lowest level being a maze of secure rooms. A number of those rooms could hold a prisoner.

They went into Henry's study and he went to he bookshelf, opening an old box with exotic Indian designs carved in it. The hiding place for the lower level key.

Suddenly, he whipped around, holding his own gun. Annie yelled, and Arthur froze. Henry smiled wickedly, and was seconds from clicking off the safety when he saw something over Arthur's shoulder.

His eyes grew wide and his face twisted into an angry glare. He ran past Arthur and through the glass door leading to the back lawn. Arthur turned around and saw what Henry had seen.

"Joan!"

Joan had been running towards the edge of the lawn, where the woods that divided Henry's house from other mansions started. She whipped her head around and saw Arthur and Annie a few yards away, in the study doorway.

And then she saw Henry, with his gun pointed right at her heart.

"Come here, Joan," he called from ten feet away. "Or I'll turn and shoot him."

Joan obeyed, and walked towards Henry until she was just a few feet in front of him. Arthur and Annie stepped closer, and they were close enough so that Joan could see the pain in her husband's eyes.

"Good girl," Henry said, lips curling into a smile. He clicked off the safety, finger on the trigger. "Now, Conrad's alias, please. I would hate to kill you."

Joan's heart raced. There was no happy ending in this scenario. She looked at Arthur, whose eyes were pleading. She stared at him, and gave him a look that said 'I love you.' Then she turned back to face Henry, and shook her head.

"Go to hell."

Henry pulled the trigger, and suddenly everything felt slow-motion. Arthur lunged forward, grabbing Henry and pushing him to the ground, and Joan closed her eyes.

"No!"

Joan hit the ground, convinced she was too close to death to feel the pain. She heard screams, and then, just like that, all was silent.


	6. Chapter 6

The silence was eerie, and Joan could hear the rustling of leaves in the breeze. She opened her eyes and saw Annie lying next to her, clutching her left leg. Blood was seeping through her fingers, and her eyes were squeezed shut in pain.

Joan sat up, looking around wildly for Arthur. But she didn't see anyone. She stood up and scanned the hillside for Henry and Arthur. The sloping lawn was eerily silent, in a post-apocalyptic yet calm way.

She and Annie had rolled a few feet down the hill without her even noticing. She ran her hands through her hair and screamed her husband's name, on the verge of tears.

"Arthur? Arthur!"

Annie moaned in pain from the ground and Joan dropped down to her knees in the grass, putting her hand on Annie's face. She surveyed the damage; it was pretty bad. She could see splinters of bone grotesquely poking through Annie's skin.

"Annie, can you hear me?"

Annie nodded. "Joan… I'm so sorry. I betrayed you, and I… I…"

Joan shook her head, and let the tears start to gather. "No, shh, it's okay. Not now." She slipped off her hoodie and pressed it to Annie's bullet wound, just below her knee.

Annie grimaced. "Henry.. he was going to kill you, he was so focused on you, he didn't see… I snuck around the side.. and when he pulled the trigger, I just ran at you…"

Joan was stunned. "You jumped in front of a bullet for me?"

"I care about you," Annie said simply, her voice laced with pain. "Sorry it took so long to get my priorities straight."

Joan laughed a little. "It's okay. We're gonna get you help, alright?"

Annie shook her head. "Arthur chased Henry to the woods. Go…"

Another gunshot rang through the air, and Joan froze.

"Go find your husband," Annie whispered weakly. She took the balled up hoodie and pressed it against her knee. "Go."

Joan jumped up and ran to the edge of the woods, her face shining with a mix of sweat and tears.

A familiar figure stood by the trees, perfectly still. He looked up and saw her.

"Oh, Arthur." Joan flung her arms around her husband, holding him as tightly as he could.

He smiled in relief, kissing her hair. "Joan."

They broke apart and Arthur cupped Joan's face in his hands, laughing and smiling. She smiled back.

"Hey."

"Hey." His blue eyes shone with the purest form of love and happiness she had ever seen. When she was finally able to tear her eyes away from him, she saw Henry's body a few feet away at the base of a tree.

"Did you..?"

Arthur nodded, taking her hands in his. "It's over."

Joan sighed and threw herself at him again, both of their bodies trembling. Tears of exhaustion and relief now fell from her eyes, and Arthur rocked her back and forth, whispering, "It's okay. You're okay."

xxxx

They were in the hospital waiting room 2 hours later, Joan clutching Arthur's arm as they sat on an uncomfortable couch, waiting for news.

"Joan?"

"Auggie!"

Joan leapt up from the couch and ran to the ER door, where Auggie had just come through. She hugged him tightly, and he hugged back with his free hand (the one not holding the cane).

"Thank god you're alright," he whispered. She smiled and pulled back, kissing his cheek.

"Annie's in surgery. They said she should be fine."

"I still don't understand how this happened," Auggie said as Joan led him back to the couch. Arthur stood up and clapped a hand on Auggie's back. He and Joan shared a look. It was up to Annie to tell Auggie how she had gotten mixed up with Henry Wilcox.

"Hey, Anderson."

"Sir."

"Are you here for Annie Walker?," a nurse asked, coming around the corner. Joan nodded and pointed to Auggie.

"He is."

"Well, she's awake now. You can see her. One at a time, please."

"You go ahead," Arthur said, putting his arm around Joan's shoulders. "We need to go home. Tell Annie we'll talk to her tomorrow."

Auggie nodded, not needing to be told again. He followed the nurse down the hall, and Arthur turned to Joan.

"Ready to go home?"

She nodded. "Please."

xxxx

After a hot shower, Joan sat in bed in sweats, eating Chinese food. Arthur sat down next to her.

"I just got off the phone with Auggie, he and Annie are back at her house. She's in a cast, and will need crutches for a few weeks."

Joan smiled softly and finished off her carton of chicken chow mein, placing it on the nightstand.

"Good."

Arthur put his hand on Joan's cheek, smiling in adoration. "Honey, I am so glad you're okay."

She smiled at him. "Me too." Their lips met in a tender kiss, and Joan wrapped her arms around Arthur's neck, deepening the kiss.

"I love you so much," she whispered, leaning her forehead up against his. "So, so much." Her voice cracked, and the lump in her throat rose.

He smiled. "I love you too." Joan sniffled and Arthur wiped away a few tears with his thumb. She laughed. He kissed her again.

"When I saw Henry pull that trigger… Joan, I swear, if he had killed you, I would have let him kill me too."

"Arthur!" Joan gaped in shock. He nodded.

"I mean it. I didn't even care about killing him. I lunged at him, and I was prepared to not fight, to just go limp and let him get me. Fighting didn't seem worth it if I was alone. But then Annie jumped in front of you…"

Joan buried her head in his chest. "Please, never say that again."

"It wouldn't make sense for me to be around without you," he whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Both were overcome with emotion, but Joan knew that Arthur meant what he said.

"I'd do the same for you," she whispered, raising her head up so she could stare into his deep blue eyes. He chuckled.

"I'd hope so."

She laughed. They laid back against the pillows together, Joan wrapped in Arthur's arms. After a minute or two, he spoke.

"We can deal with Walker however you want; she's your operative, so it's your call, but I was thinking relocation to Phoenix…"

Joan shook her head. "No. Arthur, without her, I would be dead."

"Without her, you wouldn't have been kidnapped!"

"No," Joan said firmly. "She will get a 2-week suspension, no more, no less. She took a bullet for me, Arthur. She cares."

Arthur softened. He knew that that was what Joan really cared about. Not that she had almost been killed, but that Annie cared about her, saw her as more than a boss.

"Okay. Do you want to go see her?"

"In the morning," Joan said, yawning. "Cold concrete floors are hard to sleep on."

Arthur chuckled and let Joan roll off of him. He sat up and pulled the covers over her, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"I have to make some calls, deal with the matter of Henry's… unfortunate death. Get some sleep, sweetheart."

Joan nodded, then closed her eyes. "I will."

Arthur smiled, so glad to see his wife sleeping in their bed again. It was where she belonged. With him.

xxxx

The next morning, Arthur drove Joan to Annie's house. Joan let herself into the guest house, and saw Auggie.

"Joan?"

Joan looked down at herself. Long gray sweater, jeans, and boots. No necklace, no heels. The only scent on her was the orange blossom soap she had used the night before. She smiled.

"How… actually, never mind."

He grinned, and she saw the warmth in his brown eyes. She loved that he still lit up, even when he couldn't see a thing.

"Annie's in the bathroom," he said, standing up. "Arthur texted, said he wanted to take me to get coffee?"

"Yes," Joan said. "He's outside. He wants to talk some business too, though."

Auggie nodded. "I would expect no less." Joan smiled.

"You girls play nice," Auggie said seriously as he passed Joan. She squeezed his hand and sat down on Annie's couch, chewing on her bottom lip.

Annie emerged from the bathroom and saw Joan. She looked away shyly, then swung herself over to Joan on her crutches.

Joan smiled weakly. "You're a natural on those things," she offered. Annie laughed and sat down, propping the crutches up against the arm of the couch.

"Yeah, I broke my leg when I was 14. This same one, actually. But a broken bone feels a lot different than a bone shattered by a .45 caliber bullet."

They both grew quiet, and then Joan cleared her throat. Time to break the awkward silence.

"Annie, you will be suspended for 2 weeks." She thought she might as well get that out of the way. Annie looked surprised.

'That's it?"

Joan nodded. "Yes."

"Wow," Annie said. She looked at Joan, her eyes apologetic. "Joan, I wish I could take it all back. I was foolish, and I am so sorry."

Joan smiled. "I know," she said calmly. "Annie, you did save my life. I think that more than makes up for telling Henry where I was. It's not like he couldn't have found me on his own, eventually."

Annie exhaled with relief. "That's really… thanks, Joan."

"You're welcome."

"Joan... what I said… I do care about you. It took me so long to realize that I could let you in, but... you are important to me, okay? I'm sorry I made you doubt that."

Joan put her hand on her heart and smiled. "Thank you, Annie. I really care about you, and I always try to do what is in your best interest."

"I get that now," Annie said with a laugh. "If only I hadn't been so stubborn, I would have realized it sooner."

Joan took Annie's hand in hers and squeezed it. "It's okay. What's important is that everyone survived."

Annie nodded. Joan glanced at Annie's cast. "Can I sign it?"

A grin spread across Annie's face. "Yeah!"

Joan smiled and walked over to Annie's desk, fishing a Sharpie out of a can on top of a stack of papers. She uncapped it and wrote "Thanks for taking the bullet. Feel better! xo, Joan" in loopy cursive.

Annie read it and smiled. "Ha. Cute."

Joan returned the Sharpie to the desk and then walked back over to the couch.

"I'll go, let you get your rest. Let me know how you're doing, okay?"

Annie nodded, pushing herself up and grabbing her crutches. She walked Joan to the door of her bedroom, then stopped.

"Joan," she murmured, wrapping her arms around her boss. "You are an amazing person, and I'm glad I have you."

Joan smiled and hugged Annie back. "Thank you, Annie."

Joan walked out into the patio area in front of the house and texted Arthur. She glanced around at the forgotten toys in buckets, and through the windows into the empty house.

Annie really was like a younger Joan. Lonely, determined, and always trying to do the right thing while staying true to her Agency and the people she cared about. Torn. People made mistakes, and Joan had made her fair share while adjusting to the Agency.

Everyone needs a mentor in life; someone to look up to and admire, even if they don't always agree on things. Unconditional care means that the ups and downs always end in friendship.

Annie hadn't betrayed her. She simply made a mistake, similar to the ones Joan had made when she was young, But we grow up, and as we do, we find our strengths. Joan had found hers the hard way, and she was going to help Annie find hers without all of the extra struggle.

* * *

The end! I hope you guys feel like this wraps the story up well, and I'm so overwhelmed by all the amazing reviews you have written :) This started as a one-shot, and turned into something I never thought it could be! xoxo.


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